Three years as sole parts provider for Ball Truckin’ Transport

Family run haulage company, Ball Truckin’ Transport, has chosen Ford & Slater as sole provider of Genuine DAF parts and TRP all makes parts for the third year running. Based in Atherstone, Warwickshire, Ball Truckin’ specialise in the transportation of food ingredients and fresh bakery products throughout the UK and Europe. Prior to their partnership with Ford & Slater, Ball Truckin’ would regularly contact multiple suppliers for the parts requirements of their mixed fleet of over 150 vehicles, repaired and maintained in-house – a process which can prove a costly and time-consuming approach.

The solution Ford & Slater recognised an opportunity to make this process more straightforward and efficient and approached Ball Truckin’ Director Alan Ball with a ‘one-stop-shop’ Genuine DAF parts and TRP all makes parts solution. The ‘one-stop-shop’ model sees Ford & Slater take control of Ball Truckin’s imprest stock holding to instead offer a 24-hour supply of parts across the entire fleet of trucks and trailers, supplied through a combination of Genuine DAF Parts and TRP all-makes parts.

Strong business relationships Ford & Slater Group Parts General Manager, Matt Archer, explains: “Ball Truckin’ is a name known throughout our business, from sales to aftersales and servicing. We are always looking to add value to our customers, so offered a package which would alleviate their need for multiple suppliers and streamline the parts supply to make it as hassle-free and efficient as possible.”

The ‘one-stop-shop’ solution has helped a number of Ford & Slater customers to make savings in time, money and admin when it comes to their parts supply. In 2017, Ford & Slater helped haulage specialists Roger Warnes Transport drastically minimise downtime by providing imprest stock for their 95 trucks and 101 trailers, available when they needed them, night or day. CS Ellis is another company benefitting from the solution, noting a measurable cost saving on parts and improved workshop efficiency since appointing Ford & Slater sole parts provider in 2016.

Noticeable improvements Alan first implemented the Ford & Slater ‘one-stop-shop’ solution into his business in 2015, following a seven-year, strong business relationship with Ford & Slater’s Leicester dealership. Alan Ball commented: “Having a one-stop-shop parts supply is a huge benefit to a company like ours, which has a mixed fleet.

Ford & Slater’s parts package is competitively priced, products are always in stock and always of high quality.” He continued: “Working with one main supplier instead of many has definitely saved us money in the long run, but the most noticeable improvement we have seen is the time savings. Ford & Slater know how we work, what we need and when and where we need it.

We no longer have to worry about what we have in stock or where we have to get the parts from.” Speaking of the ‘one-stop-shop’ parts solution, Matt Archer said, “Many of our customers have mixed fleets and this solution is all about making the process of finding, purchasing and delivering parts as simple as possible.” Matt Archer concludes, “I have personally worked with Alan and his team for over two years and it has been fantastic to see them benefit from our ‘one-stop-shop’ solution.